The Tale of Skipper

by Doverstar

Chapter 1

"Stop kicking!" snapped Crystal.

"I'm not!" retorted her runty little brother. Actually, they were the same age, but the two Yellow Lab pups were quite different in size.

"Quiet down in there," chuckled their mother, Emerald. "Settle down. Or I'll make you sleep outside the box tonight, Crystal."

The Labrador family of stray dogs lived in an alley, often sleeping in crates, the pups in the more comfortable cardboard box.

"Mo-om!" cried the runt. "She says I'm kicking her--and I'm not kicking her!"

"Skipper, dear," Emerald smiled. "Do calm down. You must learn to share, or sleep on the stone floor. Is it a deal, little one?"

"I'm not little," Skipper pointed out, fidgeting where he lay curled up next to his slightly-bigger, slightly-lighter-colored sister Crystal.

"Skipper."

"Okay, okay," Skipper smiled crookedly. "Deal, whatever."

"Good boy," Emerald nuzzled him fondly and laid down next to the cardboard box.

She was just drifting off to sleep when two small paws and a sudden weight came onto her back.

"Mom?" Skipper asked, staring straight ahead with his eyebrows low over his green eyes in confusion. "Why do you sleep outside instead of in a box?"

"There's no room for me in there, dearest," Emerald yawned, smiling softly, eyelids lowered. Her tail thumped the ground of the grimy alley.

"Not in our box," Skipper scoffed. "In your own."

"Well," Emerald gently rolled over, toppling her son off of him. "I need to keep watch. The dogcatchers could be here at any moment. And enemy dogs. I must stay outside to protect you."

"Why? Why can't you go to sleep too?" Skipper arched a brow, deeper-than-his-age voice squeaking.

"Because it would be selfish--and dangerous to you and your sister."

"How come?" Skipper rolled onto his belly next to his mother, looking up at her.

"You're smaller and weaker than I--and you're my pups. I must take care of you because I love you dearly." She nuzzled him again.

Skipper giggled from somewhere deep in his belly. "Mo-om--stop, haha, that tickles!"

"You must always protect the weak, Skipper," she murmured, closing her eyes as she touched her pointed black nose to his. "If you are strong, use your strength to shelter those less fortunate than yourself. The world can be a cruel place to live in. There is no reason why you shouldn't help carry the burden of others."

Skipper nodded and listened closely. His mother rarely gave such sage advice. The little puppy barely understood all of it, but the things he did understand he locked away in the back of his mind to bring out and charish later.

Skipper stood, realizing his mother was now drifitng off to sleep, and crept back into the on-its-side cardboard box, sheltered from the drizzle of light rain.

He shook his yellow-cream fur, splattering his sister.

"Hey!" she barked, jolting awake.

Skipper crouched beside her, tucking his front paw underneath him and touching his nose to her shoulder fur, eyes worried. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Crystal groaned and rolled onto her back, her head underneath his. She closed one eye and kept the remaining-open one on her younger brother. "Do you want the truth?" she muttered sleepily.

Skipper nodded.

"Then yes," she snorted, giggling at him, her anger dissolving with her slick, half-British accent. "You did wake me. What were you doing, bothering Mum?"

"No," Skipper protested, trying not to chuckle with her. He paused. "Well, yeah. I wanted to know why she sleeps outside."

"Easy," his sister mumbled, yawning as she lay on her back. "She's got to keep watch."

Skipper stared at her. "How did you know?" he asked, tail wagging.

"It's quite obvious," Crystal pointed out. She opened both eyes and suddenly rolled onto her belly. "Don't you know what would happen if she didn't?"

Skipper shook his head.

"Well," Crystal began as she sat up, back sunk in the middle like a play-crouch as she stretched her front paws and then shook her short, cream-colored ears. "The dogcatchers would find us."

"So?" Skipper retorted.

"So they've got a net, you muggins," Crystal arched a brow. "They'd scoop you and I up in those nets and have us on our way to the pound faster than you could bark for help."

Skipper shuddered, young green eyes wide. "What about Mom?"

Crystal leaned close to her brother, eyes as wide as his and whispered, as if sharing a secret, "They'd take her away."

"Take her away?" Skipper gasped, ears jumping on his head. His eyes were now filled with worry. "Where?"

Crystal shrugged, looking down and to the right but keeping her head facing her brother. "No one really knows."

Then she caught the horror on his face.

Crystal cocked her head, worried for him. "What's the matter?"

Skipper's voice trembled. "I don't want her to get took," he cried.

"Taken," Crystal corrected, always a stickler for grammar. Just like their mother. She scooted toward her little brother, fidgeting in the small space with her paws. She moved in beside him, pressing her lighter fur against his darker-yellow pelt. "Don't worry," she whispered. "It won't happen. She's on watch just now."

Skipper looked down at his paws, not wanting her to see him sniffling like a wet-behind-the-ear newborn.

"And if they do take her away," Crystal whispered in his ear, "I'll protect you. I won't leave your side."

Skipper pressed against her. Crystal always knew what to say. "You're the best sister I ever had," he murmured to her.

"Yes, well," Crystal smiled, "I'm the only one you've ever had."

Outside the box where Emerald lay, looking like she was asleep, she opened one eye and smiled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hurry! Wake up! Skipper! They're after us! Crystal!"

Skipper opened his eyes with his heart pounding. "Mom?" he cried out.

"Yes, that's it, wake your sister! Quickly now!" Emerald had her head in the cardboard box. "Wake up, Crystal, wake up now!"

Skipper nudged his sister's fur. "Crystal?" he nudged again. "Crystal! Wake up!"

Crystal's eyes snapped open. "Skipper, what--" her eyes widened and she sat up when she saw her mother's frantic look.

"The dogcatchers have come for us!" Emerald barked. "We must leave--now!"

Skipper felt Crystal bumping him from behind, nudging him along with her head.

"Go!" Crystal yapped.

Skipper, still dazed from sleep, staggered out of the box and began running after his mother, who was sprinting out of the alley, checking behind her to see if her pups were still coming.

"Hurry now! Come on!" Emerald hissed. "Faster, Crystal! Skipper, darling, move those paws! You can make it--we just have to cross the road!"

Skipper and Crystal reached their mother's side, panting. Skipper shook the drizzle of rain from his fur. "Mom?" he gasped. "Where are they? Where are we going?"

"They've reached our alley," Emerald panted. "They're searching for us."

"We gave them the slip!" Crystal crowed in triumph. She bounced on her paws, though her heart still beat violently.

"Not yet we haven't," Emerald told her softly. "You see those carriages, little ones? They and their horses are quite fast. We must be quick."

Crystal and Skipper exchanged concerned glances. They looked back up at their mother, horrified.

"Crystal, you must go first," ordered Emerald. "I'll tell you when."

Crystal trembled, but she nodded bravely.

Emerald glanced over her shoulder worriedly, then nudged Crystal. "Now! Go!"

Skipper watched, tense with fear, as his sister pelted across the road. She made it just before a horse-drawn carriage galloped past at amazing speed.

"She made it! Look, Mom, look, Crystal made it!" Skipper cried.

Crystal stopped at the safer side of the road, gazing back at them, crouching on the sidewalk and panting.

"Your turn, dear," Emerald nuzzled him. "Just like your sister. Be safe. Wait for it..."

Skipper tried to keep his paws from shaking.

Suddenly noise exploded from behind them.

"Mother!" barked Crystal from the other side of the street. "The dogcatchers are coming up behind you! Hurry!"

Emerald and Skipper whirled around to see two tall, dark figures leering over them with long poles in their hands, a meshy, string-like mesh like a rope bucket at the end of them.

Nets. The word rang in Skipper's mind. He froze in fear.

Suddenly his mother scooped him up, taking his scruff in her jaws and pelting onto the road.

Skipper swung violently from her mouth, but she never let go, keeping a tight hold on him as she ran.

Carriages and horses' hooves thundered around them. Skipper squeezed his eyes shut. The shouts of the dogcatchers,